Christmas 1972

The snow outside continued to fall in an endless stream of white. It had covered the entire yard, the trees and hedge, and had begun its work in freezing the pond in the back. The only thing that remained untouched was the car parked in the driveway. It seemed as if every snowflake simply bounced off, leaving the metal pristine and dry.

Andromeda Tonks smiled as she looked at the window to the car. Her repellant charm was still a mystery to their Muggle neighbors, who never ceased to be amazed that Ted never had to scrape ice off of his windshield.

Snowflakes danced across the window playfully, swaying in the winter breeze. A slight chill ran down Andromeda's arms, shivering slightly then retreating from the window toward the fireplace.

The house was dark minus the flame in the fireplace. Stacks of boxes sat against the wall, several halfway opened and others still sealed and marked. The walls were still bare, a score of portraits lining the floor waiting to be hung. Next to the window, a small Christmas tree sat atop a set of boxes. The tree only had a small collection of tinsel and a few small knick-knacks put in to give it meaning.

Andromeda eased her way down onto a cushion set before the fireplace, keeping on hand on her slightly inflated stomach. She finally achieved sitting, letting out a sigh and rubbing her stomach.

The last six months had been taxing on both her and Ted. After their marriage in March, she and Ted had been living off of means ends; their dingy flat in London was nothing more than a room with a mattress on the floor. A fireplace had been magically created to allow easier access to Andromeda's job. Ted had left his job at the potion shop in Diagon Alley to try and find a better earning career at one of the more prestigious wizarding research centers, leaving Andromeda as the sole bread winner of the family. Ted's parents had helped with what they could, but things just seemed to be getting worse.

And then Andromeda had become pregnant.

The two had despaired that they could not afford to care for a child; they could barely support themselves as it was. Ted's job search was going horribly and Andromeda was falling behind on the housework. Even with magic, it became more and more taxing to try and do everything at once.

Andromeda had become desperate. She had not spoken to her family since she left them the previous Christmas; testing the waters, she sent a letter to her sisters and father telling them the news of her child. She had received a return letter from Bellatrix with a small vial of poison with a note attached asking her to "do us all a favor."

However, things began to turn up. Sirius had gotten wind of the pregnancy and one day in late October had popped out of her fireplace. Andromeda had been furious and amazed to learn that he had gone to Professor Slughorn and asked if he could use the Professor's fireplace to use the Floo network to come speak to his cousin. As Ted was still one of Slughorns more favorite students, the potions master had agreed.

Andromeda had enjoyed the evening with her younger cousin; she told him of their troubles and began crying as she showed him Bellatrix's note. He did his best to comfort his cousin, but quickly sent him back to Hogwarts as the hours grew late.

From there, things got better at a miraculous rate. Professor Slughorn, apparently heartily moved upon hearing about two of his former students woes, spoke to one of his old friends at St. Mungo's division of Potion and Remedy Making and got Ted a job within two weeks. Words could not express how thrilled the couple was at Ted having a secure job that paid quite well.

However, Sirius' persuasion did not seem to stop there. In late-November, on Andromeda's 19th birthday, Andromeda was shocked to find Uncle Alphard standing at their door, paying a surprise visit. She was overly embarrassed of the state of their living, but her uncle did not seem to mind. He stayed talking with Andromeda until Ted returned home from work. Then, the couple received the biggest shock of all.

Alphard grinned from ear to ear as he announced that he had brought Andromeda a birthday gift. Without any delay, he had dropped a set of keys onto the table. "I don't use the place anymore; I'm afraid my heart has long left the rural life. It needs a new keeper and a good scrubbing, if you ask me."

It had taken Andromeda several minutes before she fully comprehended that he meant his summer home in Abbotstone. She and Ted pleaded to let them repay him in some kind, yet Alphard had refused. "Just don't expect a big Christmas gift out of me," he had said with a wink.

Andromeda smiled at the memory as she looked around the dark house. Unlike the rest of her families homes, Alphard had kept this one remarkably bare. The couple had only begun moving in three weeks before, Andromeda taking a week off of work to begin tackling the cleaning. Thankfully, Ted's parents had helped. The Tonks decided to spend the holidays at the couple's new house; Mrs. Tonks helping Andromeda get the place looking decent again. As they were now in the country and the house a good distance from the neighbors, Andromeda and Ted had been able to finally use magic to help ease the burden of making the place presentable.

Christmas had come up quicker than they could imagine. While most everything was still unpacked, Andromeda had done what she could to decorate for the holidays. The tree was a very poor recreation of a nice tree; the few decorations on it had just been tossed on at the last second. No gifts sat under it; what money they had they were spending on necessities or saving up for the baby. Andromeda didn't mind; the house was enough of a gift to cover one hundred Christmases.

She felt her stomach give a kick, looking down and rubbing it once more. The baby had not settled down all evening, keeping Andromeda awake on what she thought was one of the coldest and snowiest Christmas Eves she could remember. However, she did not mind. The fire crackling in the hearth was welcoming and warm. She was in her own home with the man she loved and their new child on the way. She would not be listening to her aunt and uncle's raving about muggles and muggle borns or listening to her older sister brag about her accomplishments.

It was going to be the best Christmas she could ever remember.

"Are you still up?"

Ted's tired voice drifted from the doorway. Andromeda looked up and smiled as her husband shuffled over to the fireplace with her. "This little nymph won't give me a rest. It's as if he knows it's Christmas."

Ted gave a small laugh as he sat down behind his wife, letting her lean back against him. "Perhaps she knows that, were she out of there, she'd be getting presents."

"He," she corrected with smile. She looked down at her stomach once more, tracing her hand over the curve. "Perhaps it's better that this isn't his first Christmas. We have no money to spend on gifts."

"She'd be too young to appreciate them anyway," Ted replied as he kissed the top of Andromeda's head. He rested his cheek on her head, letting the room fall quiet save for the crackling of the fire. He reached his arms around his wife, letting one hold her to him then placing the other on her stomach, rubbing gently over the skin that held his child.

"I'm sorry you can't go home for Christmas," he murmured quietly. Andromeda sat up and turned to face him, a look of astonishment on her face.

"Why?" she half-laughed.

"Because despite the fact that they are, forgive me, pompous asses, you do miss home."

Andromeda continued to stare, then slowly let out a small laugh. She leaned toward her husband and pulled him into a kiss, resting her forehead against his when she had pulled away.

"Ted, you silly nit," she whispered in a laugh. "I am home."